Microgaming to Close Its Poker Network in 2020

The leading provider of online casino softwareMicrogaming has recently announced its plans to shut down its poker operation – the Microgaming Poker Network.According to information provided by the Isle of Man-based gaming giant, its online poker network will be closed next year. while the exact date is yet to be revealed.Explaining its decision for this move, Microgaming pointed out the decision to close MPN hadn’t been an easy one and added it had been reached after a thorough review of the company’s online poker portfolio.The Microgaming Poker Network was launched back in 2003as Prima Poker and has since shaped both poker and online poker, and no doubt its closure will affect the entire global poker community.

No Closing Date Yet

As we’ve already pointed out, a specific date for the closure of MPN hasn’t been set yet, but Alex Scott, Managing Director at Microgaming Poker said the company expects this to happen during Q2 or Q3 of 2020. He also stated Microgaming needed a completely different strategy and business model to make its poker network more successful, and since that wasn’t part of the gaming giant’s vision, the closure was the only logical move.Scott said the business would continue as normal until the date of the closure was revealed. This means that online tournaments, live events, cash games, and promotions scheduled before this announcement was made will not be cancelled. In practice, this means the Universal Championship of Poker will be held as scheduled. The MPN Poker Tour, scheduled to take place in Malta in October, will also proceed as planned, with players looking forward to the €1 million guaranteed Battle of Malta Main Event.

The Funds Are Safe

Players will continue to play as usual as all existing MPN rooms will find a new poker supplier in the coming period, while Microgaming announced it would give their best to make this transition as smooth as possible.Scott further said that players were free to withdraw their funds if they wanted to. He explained that each of these poker rooms was required to separate player funds from its operating expenses. According to him, none of these rooms are having financial problems, while the upcoming closure will not have any sort of impact on the security of players’ funds.Commenting on the decision to close the MPN, John Coleman, Chief Executive Officer at Microgaming, stated the network model no longer fitted with their strategic vision for poker and pointed out it was the right time to announce the closure as they focused on redistributing key resources and personnel across the business.Coleman also said this wasn’t the end for poker at Microgaming, which was driven to create the most enjoyable entertainment experiences, leading the way with world-class gaming content, as the move would help the business to achieve that vision as the company followed a new strategic direction for the vertical.He noted the details would be revealed in due course.